


Let's Just Chalk This Up to Instinct

by KDblack



Series: Dragon Ball Collection [3]
Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: M/M, and also constantly has people falling out of windows and flying away, confused teenagers engage in roughhousing and impromptu home destruction to escape feelings, let's be real Bulma's house is constantly under construction, this timeline makes approximately zero sense but shhhh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-17
Updated: 2020-06-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:33:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24767794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KDblack/pseuds/KDblack
Summary: A list of the people in Goten's life who are actively trying to drive him insane:1. Trunks.That's it. It's just Trunks. And to Goten's eternal shame, it's working.
Relationships: Minor or Background Relationship(s), Trunks Briefs & Son Goten, Trunks Briefs/Son Goten
Series: Dragon Ball Collection [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1696063
Comments: 19
Kudos: 90





	Let's Just Chalk This Up to Instinct

Step one of not ruining your relationship with your best friend forever was _don't fall in love with him._

Step two was _no, seriously, don't fall in love with him._

Step three was _don't do it, you moron, you absolute tool._

Step four – well, you got the picture.

Son Goten, fifteen years old and stuck halfway through the giant Saiyan growth spurt which presumably marked the distinction between childhood and adulthood, would like to say he didn't need all those reminders. He really, really would. Unfortunately, if he did, he'd be a big fat liar.

It was all Trunks' fault. If he weren't so – so – _Trunks,_ then maybe they wouldn't have this problem. Goten could go back to thinking about food, pranks, and girls instead of the way his best friend's eyes shone when he smiled. The full head of height Trunks'd had on him for the last six months would be annoying instead of exciting. And he wouldn't accidentally walk into walls when Trunks came downstairs wearing one of his dad's skin-tight space suits.

Him wearing the suits wasn't really an uncommon circumstance, just the first time he'd done so in a while. Ever since he'd gotten old enough to demand his own from Bulma's labs, Trunks had been swanning around in those things whenever he wanted to feel all sci-fi, or he'd spilled something on his other clothes, or it was hot out and he just didn't feel like getting dressed. Apparently they were cool, super comfy, and easy to put on or something. Goten didn't really see the appeal in a body sock, or at least he hadn't until now.

Who invented those things? Whoever it was, that bastard better turn on their location right now, Goten thought as he fought to tear his eyes away from Trunks'... everything.

Yes. Everything was the right word. Because everything was on display.

“Holy sh-” Trunks' eyes flickered back up the stairs and changed his mind mid-syllable. His grandma must've been up there somewhere. No one else cared about swearing in this house. “-crap, Goten! What was that?”

“Nothing,” Goten mumbled through a mouth full of plaster. Also some metal, whoops. Must've bitten into the structural supports by accident. “Just forgot where I was for a minute.”

“Yeah, but why'd you have to zone out in the house?” Violet hair shifted faintly as Trunks hopped down to ground level. It was a delicate and graceful sight, completely unfitting of his personality, and also the only part of Trunks that Goten could safely look at. Everything else was either lean muscle straining against space latex or Trunks' face, and both those things would send blood rushing to Goten's face. “Dad's gonna see!”

“He doesn't have to know it was me,” Goten grumbled, still resting in the Goten-shaped indent he'd left in the wall. It was comfortable here. He felt safe. Also it was really hard for Trunks to tell Goten hadn't blinked since he'd arrived.

Trunks planted a hand on one sinuous hip and whoa there. Bad thoughts. “He's gonna know no matter what. You went so deep your face is gonna be stamped in there.”

With great reluctance, Goten stepped back, spitting the plaster out on the ground. Yeah, that was a pretty distinctive silhouette. And yeah, Vegeta was probably going to yell at him for it. Maybe even throw him out the window again, as if that would stop Goten from flying right back in once he stormed off. Still, the situation wasn't unsalvageable.

“What if,” Goten started, and then made the mistake of looking back at Trunks. He nearly swallowed his tongue.

Hello abs, he thought stupidly. So good to see you. You're looking particularly defined today.

“If?” A purple brow quirked upwards, silent, imperious. “C'mon, out with it.”

“Throw me,” Goten said, trying not to squeak. 

Trunks frowned. “What, like, into the wall?” 

“No. Through it.”

Slowly, that scowl transformed into a positively sinful smirk. “Oh, so you're gonna make it my fault?”

Goten coughed and made himself look away. “Don't act like he's not gonna blame me for it anyway. You should be thanking me. I'm giving you the chance to wreck the whole wall guilt-free.”

Not looking didn't matter when Trunks laughed like he did: bright and devilish, with a certain manic glee that never failed to send electric shocks racing down Goten's spine. “You delinquent, coming over to study and immediately seducing your tutor into a life of chaos and destruction.”

“Hey! You were like this before I even met you.”

“Lies and slander.” The smirk had opened up, baring entirely too many of Trunks' teeth. A tiny, increasingly vocal part of Goten wanted to hit him just to watch him lick the blood away. It was weird. Also, kind of hot.

This must be how dad feels about Vegeta all the time, Goten thought, and then immediately froze in place. 

“I'm turning into my father,” he whispered, stricken.

“No,” Trunks said, “you're turning into a wrecking ball. But I get it. They're easy to mix up.”

It was almost a relief to have Trunks spin him around before launching him at the ruined wall. At least that way, Goten didn't have the image of his best friend in space latex working out forever stamped into his mind. Unfortunately, he did have the warmth of Trunks' hands burned into his waist and shoulders, and that was still enough to make his brain short-circuit. 

He didn't even feel the impact. He sure as hell felt it when the supports gave away under him and he went flying through the outside wall and into thin air. It took him a couple seconds to catch himself and fly back in. 

Eh, no biggie. Someone was always falling out of Bulma's place.

Trunks stood on the other side of the freshly-widened hole, wide-eyed, brushing plaster dust off his hands. “Whoops. Guess that was weaker than I thought. On the bright side, maybe dad won't defenestrate you since I got there first?”

“Maybe,” Goten said. He shook himself like a wet dog, sending powder and shavings flying everywhere, then made a beeline for the stairs. “Come on! First one up wins!”

“Oh, what the he – heck!” Trunks yelled, but he was already on Goten's tail. “Wins what? Prime study space? We're writing essays!”

“Who cares?” Goten yelled back, careful not to look at him for too long. “If I win, I'm gonna throw a blanket on you!”

Blue eyes narrowed dangerously. “Oh no you don't, it's nine thousand degrees!”

Goten knew better than to taunt Trunks. He did. But his blood was pumping, his thoughts were all over the place, and he wanted nothing more than to punch Trunks right in his beautiful face. And then punch him again, with his mouth. So really, given his family's track record, slipping up was probably inevitable. 

“Then you'd better catch me!”

Naturally, Trunks did, and then he pinned Goten down and put him in a leg lock for the next half hour while they went over essay questions together. It was unbelievably immature and also an amazing show of strength and skill. Goten wanted to smother himself for enjoying it. 

“Hey, pay attention,” Trunks crooned, tightening the hold a little further. “Don't go falling asleep down there.”

“I wasn't sleeping,” Goten grumbled into his arm. Scratch that, he wanted to smother Trunks for enjoying it. How dare he grow up hot and then keep roughhousing with Goten like they were still kids? Now there were all kinds of implications in every teasing smile and harsh touch. Promises hanging like ripe fruit on the branch, waiting for Goten to drum up the courage to pluck one.

Trunks rolled his eyes. “Sure, I believe you. Anyway, the last King of the Earth didn't do much – they never do much – but it's important to know his name anyway, because his face is on coinage. For some reason.”

Just like that, the fruit whisked upward, out of reach. Trunks didn't know what he was promising. He wasn't even promising anything at all – it was Goten reading too much into perfectly innocent stuff. Like leg locks and homework and impromptu interior redesign. He had no idea Goten was having... feelings. It wasn't Trunks' business what went on in Goten's head, unless it might affect their fusion, but somehow this didn't seem to hinder Gotenks one bit. 

You'd think a fusion would be the trick to getting over this. You really, really would. But no, even a close-up reminder of how petty and spoiled and downright malicious Trunks could be didn't put a dent in these – ugh, Goten refused to validate their existence by naming them. Instead, he sighed and face-planted into the floor while Trunks talked on, absently petting Goten's thigh with the hand that wasn't holding a tablet in front of his nose. The touch of his fingers burned.

Goten risked a glance up with one eye and groaned. Trunks was smirking at him again.

“You're doing this on purpose,” he whined, and had no idea what he was even talking about. It didn't matter when Trunks was smiling at him like that.

Step one of not ruining your relationship with your best friend forever was _don't fall in love with him._

It really wasn't working out.

**Author's Note:**

> Might have a follow-up. We'll see.
> 
> What even is a timeline? XD


End file.
